Growing up Fisher

Musings, Memories, and Misadventures

"Actress, director, and entertainer Joely Fisher invites readers behind the curtain and into the intimate world of her career and family with this hilarious, irreverent, heartfelt memoir filled with candid and sometimes painful stories about her life, her famous parents, and how the loss of her sister and unlikely hero, Carrie Fisher, ignited the writer in her. Growing up in an iconic Hollywood dynasty, no stranger to the seesaw of highs and lows (and getting high) intrinsic to fame, Joely was always destined for a career in show business. The product of world-famous crooner and playboy Eddie Fisher and '60s sex kitten turned skin care maven Connie Stevens, she struggled with her own identity and bore the sting of inevitable missteps and setbacks on the path to establishing herself as an acclaimed actress, singer, and director in her own right. Now Joely shares stories of her unconventional coming-of-age and of the family members dearest to her heart, never shying away from the darker moments as she strips bare the misadventures of her life. In Growing Up Fisher, she tells of her childhood years living next door to Debbie Reynolds, life on the road as part of her mother's stage show, and the colorful cast of characters that became part of her de facto extended tribe. She speaks frankly about the realities of Hollywood--the fame and fortune, the constant scrutiny. Throughout, she celebrates the anomaly of a two-decade marriage in the entertainment industry, and the joys and challenges of parenting five children, while dishing on what it takes to survive and thrive in the unrelenting glow of celebrity. She opens up about the heartbreak of losing family members and the indomitable Fisher spirit that has kept her soldiering on through tough times and celebrated victories. Joely's memoir, with never-before-seen photos, will break and warm your heart and, in true Fisher fashion, keep you laughing through the pain."--Dust jacket flaps.A memoir by the half-sister of the late Carrie Fisher describes their upbringing in Hollywood, her personal struggles with identity, her experiences as a mother to five children, and how she became motivated to pursue a creative life in the wake of Carrie's death.

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A well-written memoir catches your interest and holds your attention no matter who the subject is or how well-known they are. If you are a big fan of Joely Fisher, you may enjoy this very much. I found her telling of her life story to be uneven, scattered, and at times almost unreadable when she is trying so hard to be clever and it just comes across as annoying. I guess with Princess Leia as your sister it might make you push harder to force your way into the spotlight. The book starts out in a rather confusing fashion with scattered childhood trials and tribulations of growing up as the daughter of the famous entertainers Connie Stevens and Eddie Fisher. When Joely relaxes and just tells her stories with straight narrative, it is quite interesting. If you are strictly looking for her to dish dirt on her famous sister, it's not here, but she does tell the moving tale of how it all happened when Carrie passed away. It is obvious that Joely loved her sister very much as well as her mother, and she shares a number of moving tales. Otherwise her story seems to careen all over the map. By the end I found myself just skimming over much of it to get to the end.